Army engineers apologize for flooding town
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PACIFIC, Wash. -- Whoops! Sorry for flooding your houses, said the Army Corps of Engineers on Monday, admitting it is to blame for the man-made flood that overwhelmed the residents of this Western Washington town last week.
More than a hundred area homes flooded last week after the Corps released water from the Mud Mountain Dam, which was reaching a dangerously high level during the storm.
But a simple apology wasn't enough to assuage the anger of residents who were paying the price of the mistake.
"There is a lot of anger, number one -- their lives have been disrupted," said Mayor Rich Hildreth. "This is a man-made flood."
Kathy Smith was among those who were flooded when the dam was opened.
"The water was coming like a big wave over the driveway," she said.
Out of desperation, Smith had to make sandbags out of gravel and garbage bags. She calls the Corps' decision irresponsible.
"We had flooding coming up so fast," said Smith.
"It came up through the sewer lines. It came up everywhere," said Burt Walls, who was forced out of his apartment.
"Right now, I'm staying with my brother in law and sister in law and hoping for the best."
Army engineers said they were trying to do the right thing by making room in the dam for more heavy rainfall. Last Monday the dam was empty. But by Thursday, it threatened to overflow.
The Corps insists iy didn't release any more water than iy did during the flood of 2006, during which only the city park flooded. Why the same action produced such difference consequences is still a mystery.
"Quite frankly we don't fully understand why at this point," said Larry Schick, meterologist for the Corp. "We regret any of the damage in Pacific. We're mystified and currently trying to figure it out."
The engineers guess river sediment buildup may have been a contributing factor, but that's just a theory. Another guess is that the White River, which is very dynamic, has somehow changed since 2006. What's clear is that the choices Army engineers made devastated those who had no choice.
"We look at what our neighbors currently have. They've lost everything they're looking at thousands of dollars in damages and no flood insurance," said Smith.
The mayor said he plans to seek help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency as well as the state.
More than a hundred area homes flooded last week after the Corps released water from the Mud Mountain Dam, which was reaching a dangerously high level during the storm.
But a simple apology wasn't enough to assuage the anger of residents who were paying the price of the mistake.
"There is a lot of anger, number one -- their lives have been disrupted," said Mayor Rich Hildreth. "This is a man-made flood."
Kathy Smith was among those who were flooded when the dam was opened.
"The water was coming like a big wave over the driveway," she said.
Out of desperation, Smith had to make sandbags out of gravel and garbage bags. She calls the Corps' decision irresponsible.
"We had flooding coming up so fast," said Smith.
"It came up through the sewer lines. It came up everywhere," said Burt Walls, who was forced out of his apartment.
"Right now, I'm staying with my brother in law and sister in law and hoping for the best."
Army engineers said they were trying to do the right thing by making room in the dam for more heavy rainfall. Last Monday the dam was empty. But by Thursday, it threatened to overflow.
The Corps insists iy didn't release any more water than iy did during the flood of 2006, during which only the city park flooded. Why the same action produced such difference consequences is still a mystery.
"Quite frankly we don't fully understand why at this point," said Larry Schick, meterologist for the Corp. "We regret any of the damage in Pacific. We're mystified and currently trying to figure it out."
The engineers guess river sediment buildup may have been a contributing factor, but that's just a theory. Another guess is that the White River, which is very dynamic, has somehow changed since 2006. What's clear is that the choices Army engineers made devastated those who had no choice.
"We look at what our neighbors currently have. They've lost everything they're looking at thousands of dollars in damages and no flood insurance," said Smith.
The mayor said he plans to seek help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency as well as the state.
